Scary movies, candy, and the color orange make Halloween just about the perfect holiday. (Christmas still rules, thanks to the lights and the Chipmunks’ song, but Halloween runs a very close second.)

My tennis buddies and I like to pay homage to the holiday each year. Here’s a photo of us from Wednesday:

The lovely woman on the left didn’t have any orange, but she wore a beautiful deep plum skirt–very autumnal. (She promises to buy some orange for next year.)

Initially I took this photo thinking I’d use us as the fashion face-off for today. But look at how adorable we are! How could you possibly choose between us? (Plus, if I didn’t win, I’d be too despondent to blog anymore.)

So instead I did some googling and came up with our three Halloween nominees. These tennis stars have some serious game when it comes to costumes!

Nominee 1: Maria Sharapova

Maria is almost unrecognizable as Pippi Longstocking! Love the hair and Mr. Nilsson, her monkey. Anyone remember these stories? Annika and Tommy? And Pippi’s horse? My mother used to read these books to my brothers and me over dinner, so Maria gets bonus points just for bringing back that wonderful memory.

Nominee 2: Shelby Rogers

Shelby nails this Morton Salt girl costume. Simple, sweet, and timeless. (Did you know the Morton Salt girl debuted in 1914???) I don’t know Shelby Rogers as a player very well, but she really sells this costume with her winsome smile.

Nominee 3: Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf

Everyone’s favorite Grand Slam-winning tennis couple really go all in for Halloween. Andre beefs up as Hulk Hogan, while Steffi channels her inner Daphne from Scooby Doo. She even gets their dog in on the action. Now what the Hulk and Daphne have to do with each other, I’m sure I don’t know. That’s the one flaw in this otherwise flawless couple costume.

I agree about Pippi, but it was a close call. I couldn’t vote for the couple who didn’t coordinate and who purchased costumes. I give major points for homegrown outfits. Morton Salt girl was definitely a close second.

Does Maria really have all those freckles or did she add them? They are spot on. (sorry)

Spot on–ha! I’m not sure about the freckles. They look like sun damage (which wouldn’t be surprising for a tennis player) and they look totally natural, much too natural to have been added on. On the other hand, she can certainly afford a make-up artist to do that for her. I’ve never noticed freckles on her before.